


Older Model

by Tigerine (sealink)



Category: DRAMAtical Murder
Genre: M/M, Romantic Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-20
Updated: 2013-12-20
Packaged: 2018-01-05 06:19:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,666
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1090629
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sealink/pseuds/Tigerine
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After Beni comes down with a mysterious malady, Koujaku ends up seeking help with his Allmate from Ruff Rabbit's best.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Older Model

**Author's Note:**

> This fic was written for a DMMD Secret Santa exchange. Although my otp was on the giftee's list of pairings, I thought I would challenge myself to write a pairing I was unfamiliar with. I hope this meets with your satisfaction. 
> 
> my tumblr: tigerine.tumblr.com  
> tracked tag: #tigerine
> 
> Happy Holidays!

Koujaku felt terrible that he didn’t notice Beni’s condition until the second day. In his defense, it had been an eventful week for him. His hairstyling had been the subject of a feature article by a local fashion magazine; lines appeared at his shop whenever he was even spotted in the surrounding vicinity. His men couldn’t have been happier: everyone in Beni-Shigure was now involved with someone, except himself. A man like himself had to preserve his mysterious charm.

When Beni’s behavior began to change, Koujaku thought at first that his Allmate was simply mirroring his tiredness and irritability, owing to his long week. It was true, what they said about Allmates being like their owners: like Koujaku, Beni’s short fuse grew even shorter under stress. This must have been the cause, and a long night’s rest would do them both a world of good.

But the next morning, as Koujaku tied up his hair for the day, Beni made a sour comment about the woman he’d invited to share his bed that night and followed it with a jab at Koujaku’s masculinity. When Koujaku pointed at him accusingly, Beni pecked him and then his software seemed to freeze up. The little red bird keeled over on the windowsill, his feet sticking up in the air.

Koujaku tucked the little Allmate into his sleeve and headed out of his apartment to Aoyagi street. The clerk at the shop he'd purchased Beni from wore a cheerfully apologetic expression as she said they no longer did repairs in-house, but she had the name of someone that might be able to help.

He should have known that she would say Mujina. He was the head of the Ruff Rabbit team, an information-gathering Rhyme outfit that traded information on Usui and Rhyme games, making small wagers on every match. In recent months, they'd shot to prominence among the Rhyme teams; a team head like Koujaku kept his information channels open when listening for people who might be looking to expand their influence. Mujina's name had come up more than once, though he refused to meet anyone without talking to them by Coil first. The info the clerk had given him was simply a Coil contact, so it seemed that at least that part of the rumor was true. Koujaku lifted his Coil and started the call.

“Yes?”

So curt. “Yes, I'm looking to get in touch with Mujina. Do you know him?”

“Who's asking?”

“I heard you might be able--”

“I said, who's asking?”

Koujaku tried to force down the irritation in his voice. “Koujaku--”

“What the fuck does a Ribster want with me?”

“Listen, I've got an Allmate that needs a diagnostic--”

“Allmate?” Silence stretched over the line, and when Mujina's voice came back, it was very different. Enthusiastic. Almost friendly. “Yeah, Koujaku. You've got that Maosen model, the red bird, right?”

How did he...? “Y-yeah.”

“I'm not a Maosen owner myself. Prefer a Fujima or a RhymeMate. Maosen's quality has really dropped off, but it looks like...” He paused and then a grunt of satisfaction came over on the call. “Your model is a bit older, before they started filling them with discount parts from overseas.”

Koujaku sat through the shop talk patiently. Maybe this guy wasn't rude so much as awkward. Was he something like an Allmate otaku?

“You want to meet somewhere?” The question crackled across the Coil.

“Yeah. As soon as we can.”

“Of course, I'll get you my best guy.”

All that and he wasn't even going to come himself? “Your best?”

“Yeah, he's one of our most valuable members. I'll send his information over to you now.”

All Koujaku could do was make a noise of assent. He didn't really have much of a choice in the matter; his skills lay outside the realm of Allmate repair. The address Mujina sent was for an apartment in the West district.

“Ah, I've got it.”

“Good!” Mujina's sudden friendliness almost sounded sincere now. “And let me know if you need anything else, Koujaku. Anything at all.” And the call clicked off.

The walk over was uneventful, almost normal, which unsettled Koujaku. When he found the address, he thought at first that Mujina had sent over the wrong information. The apartment building was on the Northern edge of the West district, near the abandoned buildings and criminals' tenements of the North district. Several coats of paint hung in shreds from the side of the building, and Koujaku was no architect, but he was quite sure that those stairs were not up to code.

He would have turned on his heel and left right then, but Beni's inert body felt like a lead weight in his sleeve. Koujaku didn't depend on Beni to the extent that Aoba depended on Ren, but it still felt like a piece of himself was missing. He missed his plucky allmate's quips and company. Once Beni was better, Koujaku would apologize to him properly.

Feeling very out of place in his bright red kimono, Koujaku mounted the stairs with trepidation, trying not to wince at the way the rickety metal steps swayed as he walked up them. The landing in front of the apartment was only marginally better. He was poised to knock when he heard a click and the door quivered. He pressed his palm against it and it swung inward; the interior was dark.

“Hello?”

There was no response, but Koujaku heard the faint sound of someone typing on a keyboard. He stepped inside, one hand over his shoulder on the hilt of his sword. “Hello?” he called out again.

The typing paused, long enough that Koujaku was sure someone would appear in the hallway at any moment. But the steady clicking of fingers on keys resumed, leaving Koujaku's sword arm tensed over his shoulder. He looked down at the floor, noticing one set of green shoes messily abandoned in the genkan. So there was someone here. As if in response to his thoughts, the door shut behind him with a thud.

Leaving his sandals by the door, Koujaku slowly inched down the corridor, keeping one hand on his sword hilt. The typing grew louder as he approached the main room at the back; now that his eyes were growing used to the darkness, he could make out the ghoulish light of computer screens in the room at the end of the hall.

“Are you coming in or not?”

Koujaku blinked, straightening up from the battle-ready crouch he'd sunk into. The voice was quiet, husky, as if its owner wasn't used to talking. As he rounded the corner, he saw why.

In the corner of the room sat a young man, surrounded both by physical and Coil-generated screens. He was wearing a ridiculous get up with, of all things, a knitted ski hat on, even though it hadn't been cold for months. Various badges and pins studded his clothes, and as Koujaku drew nearer, he realized that the blond man had nearly as many piercings on him as his clothes had pins. A dozen computers whirred away next to him, lights blinking as they transmitted and received data.

“Mujina said you--” and he stopped mid-sentence as he finally turned to look at his visitor. “Oh.” He lifted a hand to his temple, as if he'd suddenly gotten a headache. “Mujina didn't tell me it was you.”

Koujaku glared down at Noiz. “He didn't tell me it was you, either, otherwise I wouldn't have come.”

Noiz smirked. “If you hurry, you can get back to Aoyagi and buy a new Allmate.”

“What?” Koujaku couldn't keep the irritation out of his voice.

Noiz shrugged.”I'm the expert on Maosen Allmates on Midorijima. Good luck finding someone else.” He turned back to his screens.

Koujaku clenched his fists. Leaving now only to have to return if Noiz proved right would be more humiliating than just swallowing his pride here and now. He would simply have to suffer this insufferable brat until Beni was fixed.

“Weren't you going?”

“I need to see the expert,” Koujaku ground out.

Noiz turned back around with a smile that made Koujaku want to slug him. “Then I'm your man.” He nodded to a switch on the wall. “Hit the lights.”

Koujaku stepped over and flipped the switch. A single bare fluorescent ring flickered to life on the ceiling. Noiz pushed his Coil screens to the side and turned to face Koujaku, holding out his hand wordlessly. Koujaku reached into his sleeve, cradling Beni in his hand and carefully laying him in Noiz's outstretched palm. Noiz tinkered with it for a moment and then opened Beni up from the bottom, leaving him in two connected halves with his metal guts exposed. Feeling slightly sick, Koujaku looked away, examining the room.

There wasn't much to look at. It would be disingenuous to say it was minimally furnished; such a statement would imply it had been furnished at all. Aside from a low table with a few days' worth of takeout containers there was only Noiz' bank of computers and a mattress on the floor. The whole apartment gave off an air of quiet desperation.

“When did this start?” Koujaku looked back at Noiz, who was running a diagnostics program on his Coil.

“Yesterday. No, the day before.”

“What were you doing that day?”

Koujaku bristled. “I don't see how it's any business of yours,” he snapped.

“Suit yourself.”

Koujaku watched the Coil's screen anxiously, and found himself answering Noiz's question in spite of himself. “I was out late that night.”

“How late?”

“The.... sun was coming up.”

“Ah,” Noiz responded and then didn't say anything else, his green eyes trained on his Coil's screen.

Koujaku looked back around at the room as Noiz worked, but it didn't take him long for his eyes to come back to the young man on the floor. At last he couldn't stand the uncomfortable silence any longer.

“Do you really live here?”

“Yes.”

“It's not really suitable for a man to live in,” Koujaku said, disappointment in his voice.

“What's that supposed to mean?” Noiz's expression of intense concentration made him look fierce.

“Well,” Koujaku said, a smile crossing his face, “It's not really a place you'd bring a lady back to, is it?”

Noiz's face remained an impassive mask. “I wouldn't know.”

“You wouldn't...” Koujaku frowned. “Hey, now. Don't tell me you're a...”

Noiz looked up from his screens, pinning Koujaku with a look that could have carved rock. Koujaku swallowed the word 'virgin' before it left his lips, waving his hand dismissively. “Of course you aren't,” he said confidently.

Noiz's piercing stare continued for a moment more before he turned his attention back to Beni. Koujaku stood lamely for a moment before reluctantly sitting down across from Noiz, one knee propped up and the other leg on the ground, his ankles tucked next to each other.

Moving between Beni's halves with a small tool, Noiz worked through diagnosing the problem. Koujaku, having nothing else to do, watched him. He really was a handsome guy, even with all those holes in his face and that terrible fashion sense. Maybe a good woman would be able to work on him, fix him up, not that he'd ever be anything more than some lame Rhyme nerd. Koujaku's passing inclination to introduce Noiz to a woman of quality evaporated; it was better if it didn't get around that he even knew Noiz.

“There.”

“Hm?” Koujaku had been lost in thought.

“It's a worm.” Noiz tapped on his Coil's keyboard, cycling through code. “Nasty one.”

“Oh?” Koujaku tried to sound interested, but in reality, he cared less about what the problem was and more about whether it was fixed.

“You picked it up from someone at that Rhyme match in the South district.”

Koujaku blinked. “How did you know I was in the South district?”

“It's my business to know everything about Rhyme.” Noiz pointed at his Coil screens. “There was a Rhyme match there at 04:49.”

Koujaku frowned. “Hey, now. I don't even play Rhyme.”

“You don't have to. That's why it's a nasty worm.” He ran a fingertip down his Coil's screen. “It uses the Rhyme field as a way to piggyback onto the main network and infects Allmates from there.”

Koujaku looked down at Beni and then at Noiz. He hadn't actually done anything wrong, hadn't actually been responsible for the damage done to Beni. It was a great weight off Koujaku's heart. “So how are you going to fix it?”

“Well, I've removed the worm and installed a port gate switch which can block the ports Rhyme uses.”

“A-ah.”

“But I still have to test it in Rhyme.”

“Oi.” Koujaku's face creased in a frown. “I'm not going to--”

“I have to make sure there's no more malicious code,” Noiz said, folding Beni back up into one piece and snapping him together. “To do that, I need to see him in a Rhyme field.”

Koujaku looked down at Beni and then back at Noiz's impassive expression. Well, if he'd come this far, he might as well make sure the cure worked. He sighed heavily as Noiz hooked Beni up to a power source and the little bird came to life.

“How are we going to get Usui to show up?” Koujaku said in exasperation..

“We won't.” Noiz made a few motions on his Coil and Koujaku felt the world melt around him.

The Rhyme field stretched out in every direction, blue framework and black space. A pleasant female voice announced that the Rhyme game was beginning. Koujaku looked around and was surprised to see Beni standing next to him in his online mode. Short red hair, golden-orange eyes and the wiry frame of a teenager, sporting a short red kimono with white seals on the sleeves, a strand of large black beads, small wooden bangles on each arm and geta that were easily four inches tall.

“Yo, boss,” Beni said, lifting his hand and cracking a grin.

“Beni!” Koujaku hugged the shorter allmate, clapping him heartily on the back. “How's everything feel?”

Beni rolled his slim shoulders, his amber eyes fluttering as he ran systems checks. “Feels fine.” He looked at Koujaku, his youthful face twisted in a scowl. “But why are we in a Rhyme game, boss? You givin' up on Rib?”

Koujaku shook his head. “A Rhyme worm got into your memory somehow, so we have to check that it's gone using Rhyme.”

Beni crossed his arms, rocking back on one of his geta. “I guess. As long as we don't make a habit of it.”

“Not a chance.”

A klaxon sounded and the Rhyme field assembled itself around them. Blocky rabbit heads the size of buildings sprang up out of the ground, wobbling as they plopped down on the Rhyme field. Large chains and animal organs in electric colors pulsed rhythmically in the far distance. Noiz was nowhere to be seen.

Koujaku scowled. “That guy... he knows I don't play Rhyme, but he's still going to sneak attack me?”

“You gotta give me an order, boss.”

“Uh. Guard yourself, I guess...?” Koujaku shrugged.

Beni grinned. “Got it!”

Beni threw out a hand, bracelets clattering together, and a rood with arcane writing appeared in front of him. A sphere of white light materialized around them, hardening into a shield. The attack came from the left; a flurry of blows from a squadron of rabbit allmates. Beni stood between them and Koujaku, his hands up and palms out.

Koujaku received a notification on his Coil of the damage to Beni's shield; when he looked back up, Noiz had taken his place opposite him on the Rhyme field. Several screens popped up from his Coil. He didn't seem to think Koujaku was a threat at all.

“Looks like he's able to execute functions without attempting to infect my allmates,” Noiz said. “It's gone.”

Koujaku smiled and looked at Beni, who rubbed his nose with his thumb and beamed at Koujaku. Turning back to Noiz, Koujaku said, “I can't thank you enough.”

Noiz's face remained a mask of indifference. “It's nothing.”

Koujaku looked around at the Rhyme field. “So what happens now?”

Noiz regarded him for a long moment, his gaze inscrutable. “We can play the game as normal or one of us can throw the match.”

“Throw the match?”

“Yes.”

Koujaku nodded thoughtfully. “How do I---!!”

The world was already spiraling away from him in a tunnel of blue arcs and wireframes. Koujaku sucked in a breath suddenly as he regained full consciousness, feeling a little sick as he got used to his own body again. There were aches in his joints that weren't there before the Rhyme game. He groaned and turned to look at Noiz.

Noiz was watching him with a curious expression, the first notable expression he'd had since Koujaku arrived.

“What's with that look?”

Noiz blinked and then turned his head away. “Nothing.”

Koujaku looked at Beni, and Noiz's eyes fell upon him as well. He picked him up, ignoring the Allmate's indignant squawking, and used his Coil to configure something. “There. I've set the Rhyme gate port to 'off'. This shouldn't trouble you any more.” He tossed Beni into the air, and Beni flapped and took wing immediately, settling on Koujaku's head.

“Now, about my fee...” Noiz said.

Koujaku nodded, retrieving Beni from his head and putting him in sleep mode. “What's the damage?”

“Removing the worm is free.”

Koujaku blinked and his mouth gaped open. “What?”

“Worms are a menace to Rhyme. They keep me from doing my job because I'm dealing with that bullshit all the time.” He let out a small sigh. “It's a service as much for myself as for you. Who knows how many Allmates you infected while you had it.” Noiz's eyes slid away.

“You look like you want to say something else,” Koujaku said, folding his arms across his chest.

Noiz's eyes moved back to him, glittering, but he didn't say anything.

“Oi, oi,” Koujaku said, gesturing with one open hand. “I'm not concerned about cost. You've done me a favor and I'm grateful.”

“Ah.” Noiz's eyes sharpened and he closed the screens on his Coil. “Then, a kiss.”

“Hah??” Koujaku must have misheard him.

“A kiss.”

Koujaku lifted both his hands and made a placating gesture. “I'm a guy.”

“That's fine, right?”

Koujaku looked at Noiz, at the shrewd, calculating set of his eyebrows, and the serious look of his eyes. A simple kiss couldn't hurt, could it? It's not like he was going to turn gay or anything.

“Well.... that's fine, I guess,” Koujaku said, an embarrassed blush rising in his cheeks. His hand drifted to his neck, rubbing the back of his head self-consciously.

Noiz was suddenly on his hands and knees, crawling towards Koujaku with an intense look.

“But... first you have to take that ridiculous hat off,” Koujaku said.

Noiz removed it without a word, tossing it to the side. His eyes remained trained on Koujaku, flicking down to his lips. His hand slid over the floor, planting itself between Koujaku's legs. The sight of Noiz half-loping towards him on hands and knees, that predatory gleam in his eye, made Koujaku wonder if Noiz thought he was going to be the one doing the kissing.

Koujaku frowned slightly. “Hey, aren't I--” but Noiz silenced him with his mouth with a kiss that sent a wave of heat surging through Koujaku's body. Noiz's hand lifted and cupped the side of his jaw and the kiss was broken, but only for a moment.

“Come on, old man, do it properly,” Noiz murmured against his mouth, before pressing his mouth to Koujaku's again.

“Old man?!” Koujaku sputtered, but Noiz's mouth was insistent, and before Koujaku realized what had happened, his back was pressed to the floor and Noiz was straddling him, his fingers firm against the back of Koujaku's neck, pulling him into the embrace.

Koujaku's hands twitched and then reluctantly slid up Noiz's shoulders, threading through his short hair, pressing against the back of his skull. Noiz pressed his hips against Koujaku, swallowing the answering gasp of surprise and sliding his tongue into Koujaku's mouth.

The piercings created an interesting textural difference; Koujaku had never kissed anyone with a tongue piercing, let alone several. Noiz was an amazing kisser on top of that, and the soft sighs through his nose that he was starting to make were definitely higher on the list of Most Erotic Things I've Ever Heard than Koujaku would have ever cared to admit.

Noiz broke the kiss first, sliding the tip of his tongue along Koujaku's jaw and then kissing the moisture away, ending with a peck on the lips. “There, that wasn't so bad, was it, old man?” He said. He was a little out of breath.

Koujaku was in a state of shock. He'd never been kissed so thoroughly and so well, and it was by a punk kid younger than him--- and a guy at that.

He sat up suddenly, pushing Noiz away and holding the back of his hand to his mouth, unwilling to admit how hot the kiss had been, and how much he wanted to take him to bed. The only thing that stopped him was the way Noiz was licking his lips with heavy-lidded eyes. Koujaku couldn't be sure that he wasn't going to be the one taken to bed.

“If... if that's all,” Koujaku sputtered, picking up Beni and tucking him in his sleeve.

“....yeah,” Noiz replied.

“See ya,” Koujaku said, scrambling to his feet and heading for the door as fast as was polite to do so.

Noiz heard the door slam shut a few moments later, and he smirked to himself before lifting his Coil and sending a message to Mujina: _Appreciate the opportunity to work with older Maosen model._

The answer came back almost instantly: _I'll take my thanks in large bills_.


End file.
